David Hudson

I have been fascinated by invasive species and the survival of species since I was a kid growing up on Lake Michigan. I currently serve as the research scientist at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, directing the research and conservation program. Before then, I served as an assistant professor at a small college in Atlanta, teaching and doing research on crustaceans and related species. I am fluent in Spanish, and spent time in Bogotá, Colombia as a U.S. Student Fulbright Fellow after earning my Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. My research uses the behavior and physiology of marine and aquatic animals to determine the effects of changes in the physical environment (temperature, salinity, sound, etc.) on distributions, survival, and ecology of other marine and aquatic organisms. I am also interested in how changing human behaviors impact the survival of species, and how aquaculture can be used to augment food security, economic security, and conservation of marine and aquatic animals. I currently serve as a member of the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission freshwater crustacean specialist group, and will serve as an advisor to the AZA Aquatic Invertebrate Taxon Advisory Group, particularly focusing on applying my experience with assessing stress in invertebrates and invertebrate physiology to questions of animal husbandry and welfare. My wife and I are avid skiers and SCUBA divers and we reside in Connecticut with our family.

I now serve on the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Saving Animals From Extinction (AZA SAFE) steering committee for sea turtle conservation.